Albertan chefs carve spot on icy world podium
EDMONTON Two Albertans who used to be competitors on the icecarving circuit will return home from the world’s largest competition in China with some bronze hardware.
Both professional chefs by day, Calgary’s Scott Harrison and Edmonton’s Steve Buzak placed third overall in an ice-sculpting competition in Edmonton’s sister city of Harbin that wrapped up Tuesday. The Albertan duo was the only all-Canadian team in the worldrenowned competition featuring 34 teams from 16 countries.
“The whole goal was to represent Alberta and Canada the best we could by completing the carving and the rest was gravy,” Harrison said about finishing on the podium.
The chilly competition spanned three days with teams having about 25 hours to complete their sculpture. But design plans had to be completed about a month and a half before that, which is when the team decided they wanted to use their icy platform to highlight Alberta.
“We did a rustic oil derrick surrounded by a Canadian maple leaf,” Buzak said.
“And we titled it Heritage.” The draw to ice carving was natural for the two chefs, who bring with them ample knife skills from the kitchen.
“Being a chef is creative by nature and there’s something to be said about releasing your creativity in a different way,” said Harrison, a culinary arts teacher.
Buzak, who placed second at this competition with a different partner in 2017, is the executive chef at Edmonton’s Royal Glenora Club. The quest to get to China started in the summer and was made possible through grants and support from the provincial government, the Alberta Foundation for the Arts and Travel Alberta, Buzak said.
Next, the duo will be returning much closer to home to compete together in the Canada Cup of Ice Carving Jan. 24 and 25 during the Ice on Whyte Festival in Edmonton, where they will have 36 hours to form their creation.
And after travelling to China, the born-and-raised Albertans are looking forward to hosting their friends from around the world.
“One of the greatest things about the ice-carving competitions is the camaraderie and the people you get to meet from all around the world,” Harrison said.